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Colorfly C4 Pocket Hi-Fi High Res Music Player

ColorFly C4 is a true pocket hi-fi, the first portable music player to feature 24bit/192kHz playback with a true audiophile design that will properly drive audiophile quality headphones without the need for a separate headphone amplifier. A truly astonishing portable music player.

Product Description

The Colorfly C4 is also ideal as a main hi-fi source and sounds simply stunning with all variety of suitable amplifiers and hi-fi systems.

Easy to use, simply drag and drop your music files onto the flash based 32GB internal storage space or onto a micro SD card accepted into the bottom of the unit (not included), allowing you to expand the storage space even more. The Colorfly C4 truly is quick and simple high end audio on the go! Colorfly C4 is the first portable player that can play 24 bit/192 KHz audio files, jitter less than 5 picoseconds and drive 300 ohm Headphones.

Exclusive and Unique

Just look at the box the C4 comes in! It's more akin to something offered by a supercar manufacturer or watch maker. Each C4 is unique due to the fact each is crafted from real black walnut wood - regius walnut from North America to be exact. The pleasant vignette is formed by the clear, smooth glossy and wavelike grains and the clear annual ring.

Precision manufactured manually

The Colorfly team processes the wood by using a CNC numerically controlled machine at a constant temperature. The design and the special curve on the wood is engraved manually as shown, making the C4 a true luxury product. The C4 is special to look at just as importantly it feels special to hold, giving it special and unique pride of ownership.

The Famous DAC

The excellent sound quality and support for 24bit/ 192kHz is possible thanks to a single Hi-Fi DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter). The ColorFly team decided to use the CIRRUS logic CS4398, a high-end chipset usually only found in top-of-the-range Hi-Fi components costing many thousands of pounds. This DAC offers outstanding levels of performance with excellent dynamic range up to 120dB and the ability to decode 24bit/192kHz audio for stunning sound quality.

A Touch of Volume Nostalgia

Colorfly used the flagship series pro-audio series of the famous ALPS volume potentiometer in Japan. The dust cover and grounding connection were ordered according to the specifications of the Pocket HIFI player. The rate of the volume error was lower than 5% in average after 1,000 hours. The volume error rates of the C4 was 15% lower than the ALPS official data.

Specific Signal Path

C4 aims to offer hi-fi quality audio from a portable player no larger than the size of a cigarette pack. As such the assembly with circuit board, chips and even the capacitors must be selected very carefully - both for sound and size. Many music players use a signal chip with a main structure made of an MPU, DAC and earphone amplifier. This structure always processed the audio at the cost of great loss with voices sounding stiff, rigid and apathetic. Ever felt fatigue or tired of listening to your normal music player? C4 is the solution. The internal structure of the C4 is much more complex than traditional MP3 player. In the Pocket HIFI player, the original audio must pass through 8 units from input to output for the sake of getting the perfect voice. Have a look at the diagram below to see how much more carefully considered the signal path is in the C4.

Jitter Kill

Colorfly C4 is designed to have very low jitter, thanks to the use of TCXO high precision crystal Oscillators and CS8422 SRC CIRRUS chip. These components and a careful design have resulted in an unbelievable rate of jitter lower than 5ps. The circuit for Jitter Kill has been registered as a patent for the C4 Pocket HIFI player, making this ability quite unique.

Press Reviews

Nominee "BEST ACCESSORY" (Hi-Fi Choice Awards 2011)

You'll already have noticed from the photos that this is one smart-looking baby. In fact, in the flesh it's simply gorgeous with its solid walnut body. It's bigger than other portables, but still fits in a jacket pocket and feels fabulous in the hand. Internally, it's built with the sort of parts you expect to find in high-end CD players and DACs. (Hi-Fi Choice magazine May 2011)

And the sound? There's no doubt that this is a whole different ballgame of portable sound. We took advantage of the higher-than-usual output levels and confucted quite a lot of listening with Grado's fabulous GS1000 headphones...it drove with a combination of grip and sweetness that really does make for a high-fidelity experience.(Hi-Fi Choice magazine May 2011)

As a component in a domestic hi-fi set-up, the Colorfly also makes a very good impression. Whether playing its own files or acting as a DAC, it achieves performance results that would embarass a full-size component of similar price or indeed rather higher. (Hi-Fi Choice magazine May 2011)

Clear, detailed and simply captivating sound...in a field of one as an audiophile portable. It also achieves wonderful things in a fixed system. (Hi-Fi Choice magazine May 2011)

Customer Reviews

Pavol

7 May 2016

The Colorfly C4 is realy one of the best player. I can say, compare with any other CD player, he able beat them. With realy good earphones, it´s just time for relax with music, and unstopable listening. Sund is realy natural, stabil, full of the dynamic, without any distorsion. Player have a enough power for any earphones You use. For sure, if You use cheap one, You will get same answer. I prefer WAV format, no FLAC - I think is beter /FLAC is for me like, if somebody squeezing the oxygen valve. UI is simple, very simple, but still OK. Screan give You just basic information about song and artist - here is space for developing. Volume slider no have a zero point - You can still hear something. And also, be carefull, when You swich off them - always I can hear the burst. Beter is before swith off take out earphones. Batery is just for around 5-6 hours continualy listening. Display is realy poor quality /made/ - just some plastic, and You can scratch him wery simple, just with nailes. Beter is directly use protective film from any mobile. Body - for me is realy nice, looks like home made, except wood´s body. Just be carefull - it´s wood, it can be scrathced as well. Case - uff... lether case is realy just for transport, and is fixed definitely exactly for player. I have tu us power push him inside or take him out. If is inside case, You can oparate player, nothing. I hope, Colorfly or any other company will make soo some realy good, openable case, which can protect C4, but still will give me possibility for control him. Player is ready just for 32GB SD card, but You can formate 64Gb SD by FAT32, and everything is OK.
My conclusion - by sound, it´s definitely amazing player, I love him /with my Audiotechnika ATH - AD900 they are perfect couple/. Build quality is no genius perfect, but for me enough. Design - it´s great, but who like high-tech desing, he don´t like him. Very simple UI, but is acceptable /it´s no nintendo or similar thing.. :o) /. Poor case, and volume slider without zero point is small fault from Colorfly. But for sure I can say - i RECOMMED him, for 100%.

Neil

8 Jan 2015

Bought this from here a couple of yrs ago so I have had plenty of experience of it's sublime & so far unsurpassed sound reproduction in the portable DAP/ DAC/ Headphone AMP world.
I own an Astell & Kern AK120 & sure it's a good sounding DAP & more practical than the C4 Pro but when it comes down to the all important sound quality as I'm sure comes 1st to most people then currently the C4 Pro is still King :)
Once burned in & used with some good IEMs/ Headphones = you can use a 128gb microSDXC Card but reformat it in Fat32 then load it full of good quality Flac/ Wavs not MP3's as this beauty reveals low quality music not that well IMHO so feed it good quality Flac rips of your own CD'S etc... - 1 listen after some burn in & you'll hear music like no other current DAP can reproduce or better, I heard a burned in AK240 & in a straight A - B shootout the C4's superior sound still owns. Use it as a standalone DAC in a system also & it'll amaze you too = An added bonus :)

Sure it's looks are different & the UI isn't great but at least it doesn't keep crashing/ freezing like the AK240, Why it uses a full OS is 1 of the 240's Downfalls too IMHO.

5 STARS! & at it's lower price now it's a steal considering the Astell & Kern's start at £1200 & reach £2400 yet still can't even equal this GEM OF A DAP!

Julie

18 Aug 2012

I bought this cause I was sick of having portable AMPs elasticated banded behind my iPhone or/ & iPods.

1st things 1st = add in a class 10 32gb, will see soon if itll take a 64gb card & you have 64gb of room to play with for your big .wavs or .Flacs Or even MP3s But Id stick to 320kb/s at least TBH.
Now LOAD it up full of your WAVs/ FLACs/ 320KB/S MP3s & BAM YOUR IN HEAVEN, seriously this thing sounds so so good I thought why do I spend all my money on my Hi-fi stuff when I could have bought this ages ago.
WAVs & FLACs when paired with your fav headphones = will leave you thinking the same thing, OMG what clarity from something so small.
There is only 1 downside Im afraid & its its battery life which is given at 6hrs constant I believe, maybe itll improve after a few cycles, but it does drain fast, for me its no bigy as U can charge it USB & listen too.
I havent even said about its spdf

Martin

28 Apr 2012

The Colorfly C4 is by far the best portable player I have ever heard. The sound possible from even "normal" res files is immediately impressive and support for driving proper hifi headphones is the icing on the cake. No support for 192/24 bit FLAC files was initially disappointing but I have been told a firmware update will be available soon so I can update my current C4. Not cheap, but for the best sound the COlorfly is a winner. My journey from cassette walkmen to here has been a long one but I have finally found my perfect match.